Morning Glory Pool
Temperature 171.6°F Dimensions 23x26.6 feet. Depth 23 feet. A deep, funnel-shaped pool with a dark blue center. The resemblance to the shape and color of a morning glory is responsible for its name in the early 1880s. It has been a popular thermal feature and a symbol of Yellowstone. The early stagecoach and automobile road came within a few feet of this pool until 1971 when the road was rerouted. Early visitors carelessly removed the delicate scalloped border and dumped debris into the pool. In 1950 the water level was lowered by siphoning which induced the pool to erupt. Socks, bath towels, 76 handkerchiefs, $86.27 in pennies, $8.10 in other coins came up; in all, 112 different objects were removed from Morning Glory. The debris had reduced the flow of water and contributed to the decline in temperature, causing bacteria to grow in the cooler yellow and orange edges of the pool.